Setting Yourself Up
by Gaia Faye
Summary: Henry moves into Apartment 302 of South Ashfield Heights.


Disclaimer: Don't own Silent Hill or characters. Don't sue. Thanks.

Author Notage: My second Silent Hill fic! w00t! 'Tis SH4. So… spoiler warning, I guess. Though I don't know why anyone would read fanfics and not expect spoilers. Silly people. Actually… are there spoilers in here? I dun even know. Just read, dammit.

* * *

Setting Yourself Up in a New Place

"Ah, Mr. Sunderland, you really don't have to--"

"Oh, it's fine," the older man interrupted. A large box in his arms, he led the way up the stairs without a backwards glance. "I'm not gonna let you carry in all your things by yourself," he grunted.

Henry frowned, but followed behind with another box, marked 'CLOTHES'. The superintendent was rather elderly, and he really didn't want to stress him. But he was insistent, so he decided to let it be. "Alright," he replied as they reached the second floor and walked across the hall to the next flight of stairs. "But only if you're sure--"

"I may be old, but I'm not dead," Frank cut him off again.

"I just don't want to be a bother."

"Ha! You? A bother?" They reached the third floor, and he turned to give a crooked smile to the younger man. "Boy, you oughta get to know your new neighbors. That hothead Braintree over in, uh, 207 will give you a damn headache, let me tell you." He pushed open the door to the east wing and stepped through the doorway. He held it open with his foot until Henry caught it with his elbow. Frank gave him a quick once-over before turning and heading towards Room 302. "Nah, I can tell you'll be no trouble. Seem like the quiet type."

Henry ducked his head at the blatant scrutiny. "Ah, I guess." They reached the room, and he pushed his box against the wall and held it up with a raised knee so he could pull his key from his pocket.

"You remind me of my son," Frank said, his tone different.

"Your son?" Henry slid the key into the lock and turned it until it clicked. He turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"Yeah. The quiet type," Frank went on. He stepped into the room before Henry and continued as he set the box on the counter around the border of the kitchen. "James used to help move in new tenants when he lived here. Even if he happened to be visiting once he got married and moved out."

"He doesn't help anymore?" Henry set his box on the floor by the counter.

"James, uh..." Frank scratched his shoulder. "My son went missing a few years ago. He took his wife into Silent Hill and disappeared after that."

Henry stared at the superintendent awkwardly. "Oh. I... I'm sorry..."

Frank shrugged, but looked away towards the laundry room door. "It's alright. Years ago. Nothing much to do about it now." He regained eye contact and forced a laugh. "I shouldn't be bothering you with things like that anyway. Forget it." He suddenly patted the box on the counter. "Let's keep moving you in, eh?"

They moved back out into the hallway. Henry gestured to the door. "Should I just leave it open?"

"Oh, yeah. You can trust people around here." Frank gestured next door to Room 303. "Especially Ms. Galvin, your neighbor. My best tenant." He eyed Henry as they headed back to the stairs. "I think she's, ah, single, you know."

Henry looked away. "Um… I don't… I'm not really--"

Frank chuckled. "Just an idea." He patted the younger man on the back. "How many more boxes do you think you have?"

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Henry didn't have too many things, so it took less than an hour to carry the rest of the boxes from his car up to 302. As the two men entered the wing with the last of Henry's things, they spotted another man, younger than Frank but older than the new tenant, standing outside the open door.

"Quit snooping around, Braintree," Frank grunted at him. Henry could instantly tell that Frank indeed was not fond of the resident of 207.

"I'm not snooping," Richard snapped back. "Just aware of my surroundings."

"Well, don't scare away my new tenant," Frank retorted.

Richard looked over at Henry, then looked away. Henry was left with an immediate sense that he didn't impress the cranky man in the slightest, though he wasn't sure why he was supposed to. "He's living here now?" Richard asked Frank.

Frank walked to the doorway and glared at his least-favorite tenant over his shoulder. "Yeah. Why?" The last part was said sternly, like some sort of challenge. Something was exchanged in the gazes of the two men, and then Richard just shrugged and sauntered off, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

Henry frowned as he watched him walk away. He was stuck with a feeling that Richard knew something that he didn't. He turned to ask Frank about it, but the superintendent had already gone into the apartment. The younger man followed, closing the door behind him. He set his box on the floor by the laundry room door and was about to ask his question when Frank's hand slipped and the box he'd been carrying fell and its contents spilled out onto the floor.

"Son of a..." Frank stooped down and righted the box. He then set about collecting the array of photographs that had flopped out.

Henry had already started gathering them up. His question was forgotten. "It's alright," he said. "Ease up on your back."

Frank would have argued if his back hadn't been aching from all the carrying and walking. He straightened with some discomfort, a few of the pictures still in his hand. He examined them while Henry collected the others on the floor. "You take these yourself?"

"Hm?" Henry looked up and saw that the older man was staring at a few of the squared images. "Oh, uh, yes," he muttered abashedly.

"They're good," Frank commented.

Henry couldn't help but smile a little as he picked up the last of the errant photographs. "Thanks."

"Sure got a lot of them. You a photographer or something?"

"It's just a hobby."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "You could probably make some extra money with this hobby." Henry only shrugged and put the photos back in the box. "This is from Silent Hill, isn't it?" Frank asked, holding up a picture of a lighthouse.

"Yeah." Henry smiled faintly at fond memories. "Went there a lot when I was a kid. It's a nice place."

Frank nodded. "Been there quite a few times myself. Don't know anyone who hasn't." He was silent for a moment, then said with an unmistakable tone of loneliness, "It's very beautiful there. That's why my son took his wife there one last time, you see. She was sick, very sick, and it was a final gift to her."

Henry was stuck in an awkward position again. He could think of nothing to say; he only managed to fidget a bit and cough.

Frank shook himself from his stupor and smiled apologetically. "There I go again!" he exclaimed. "Just ignore the ramblings of an old man, eh, Henry?" he said, trying to joke.

Henry still wasn't sure what to say. "I'd never ignore… I mean… I understand that--"

The superintendent held up his hand to signal for his new resident to be silent. "You are too much like James," he said with a sad shake of his head. Then, realizing that he'd gone back to the uncomfortable topic again, he grimaced and moved toward the door. "Well, I better leave you be so you can set yourself up."

"Yeah," Henry agreed. "Alright."

Opening the front door, Frank paused and looked back at the younger man. "You know, I got a, uh, old framed photograph that I have nothing to do with. Would look pretty nice in here."

"Oh, you don't have to--"

"Nah, it's nothing. Think of it as a housewarming gift." He waved a hand goodbye. "I'll bring it up later, alright?"

Not wanting to refuse a friendly gesture, Henry smiled. "Okay. Later then."

The door closed, and he set about putting his things in their proper places.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Clothes packed away, Henry headed out of his new bedroom and into the hall. As he closed the door, he yawned and leaned against the short expanse of wall between the bedroom and bathroom doors. He didn't notice the odd hollow sound as he fell against the paneling and slid down to sit on the carpet. Moving in had taken more out of him than he'd thought it would. But he was overcome with a creeping sensation of familiarity. It was the same feeling he'd had when he first stopped by the apartments on his search for a place to live. He didn't know why, but he was instantly drawn to South Ashfield Heights, pulled to the building by a warm, pleasant sensation in his brain that told him that he belonged there. And as he sat on the floor, Henry noted that he indeed felt like he fit in perfectly with his new place.

Of course, such a feeling, snug and comforting as it was, was pretty odd. The closest he'd ever felt to anything like it was when he would vacation in Silent Hill with his parents as a kid. Yes, he decided, pleasant sensation of never wanting to leave was exactly the same. He supposed then, that even though experiencing the feeling in such a way was odd, it couldn't be particularly wrong, as he had nothing but happy recollections of Silent Hill.

Smiling around at his new home, he decided it was a good omen.

* * *

Wow. I feel really evil giving Henry that foreboding happy ending. Poor, poor Henry. Well, the title wouldn't have a double meaning without it, so too bad for him. Yup… Review, please? 


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